Lead You to Me
by rhetoricfemme
Summary: When Kaoru's private crisis goes above his head, Hikaru resorts to Kyoya for help. / Rated T: Some use of language and insinuated situations ahead.
1. Chapter 1

I don't own any part of Ouran High School Host Club.

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Rain-slicked asphalt glared up at him, its unnatural streetlamp glow personified by the reflection dancing around his glasses. Sighing, he pushed them back atop the bridge of his nose.

"I'm still not entirely sure why you called me, Hikaru."

The singular twin slumped against the seat of the dimly lit car, and gave a defeated shrug. "Well, you _are_ the most convincing one of the group. Right, Kyoya-Senpai?"

"I suppose. Let's just hope this won't take too long."

All told, there were several factors that had lead to the older twin calling Kyoya for help with his brother. Tired of endless and exhausting nights of trekking off to locate Kaoru on his own, Hikaru prayed that by incorporating a factor of the problem, that he might also be providing some sort of solution.

"For a few months now, he's been talking to me less. And when we do talk, he does his best to keep it superficial. He's been pretty upset for a while now, and ends up going out on his own. Eventually I began following along, finding him at the same club every time, only to drag him back home after embarrassing himself and getting shitfaced."

It was upon describing Kaoru's typical visage while clubbing that Hikaru nodded in acknowledgment of their destination. Their car was brought curbside, falling in line with several other vehicles of its kind. Opening his door, Kyoya stared up at what appeared to be a typical downtown office building. Considering that discreetly placed clubs were not quite his thing, he waited to take his cues from Hikaru.

Falling in line alongside one another, the two boys headed toward the side of the building, where Hikaru gave a distinct tap on the door. Stepping aside as it swung open, they were greeted by a young woman who, despite winter having made good on all its promises, had been poured into a small, black burlesque number.

"Gentleman..."

She threw them a seductive smile and made room for them to pass through the entryway with a swing of her hips. Kyoya gave her one final glance before moving ahead.

_Kaoru comes here? Alone? He was noticeably upset a while back, but I figured it had to do with passing up an opportunity to be with Haruhi... I can't imagine what sort of inclinations have brought him here..._

"Interesting. In its own way..."

"Yeah..." Hikaru responded, keeping his head low.

Taking a staircase downward, pulsations of synthesizer and bass became prominent to the ears. Walking further, the narrow stairway emptied its inhabitants into a provocative world that had been swathed in dark, alluring shades of red.

Passing through the flood of mingling bodies, Kyoya recognized the faces of more than one Ouran student in the mix; some of which were familiar to the host club. To his right stood a bar which no doubt made back whatever fines it would incur, should authorities become aware that they were serving alcohol to minors.

An immense shot of relief washed over him as Hikaru guided him by the elbow toward the area where Kaoru could be found. Along the way, Kyoya gave a sickened jerk of his shoulder in an effort to avoid anyone's egregious advances.

Reaching the other side of the basement, they came to a stop in front of a vintage purple sofa, upon which laid Kaoru, a half-dressed co-ed in his lap, while he pretended to noticed the provocative show happening in front of him. There had been little more than a look of apathy on the boy's face until the arrival of not only his brother, but none other than the Shadow King, himself.

"Kyoya! I didn't take you for the type to show up here." Shoving the girl off his lap, he motioned for the two of them to sit down.

"Oh, indeed, Kaoru. I'm not. And you need to go home."

Smirking at the sight of a prudent Kyoya, he turned his eyes onto Hikaru and gave him a scowl.

_I don't think I'll wait for this scenario to degenerate any further..._

Preparing to take on the brunt of the impish boy's weight, Kyoya gently grabbed Kaoru by the arm to lead him outside. He was surprised to see the inebriated twin oblige, while Hikaru followed closely behind.

Keeping his eyes focused in front of him, Kyoya let loose an angry yell upon feeling himself being groped. Quickly turning around, he could see Kaoru in a fit of laughter on the floor. Not waiting for the drunken fit to subside, he continued to navigate forward and allowed Hikaru to take care of the situation.

Finally, Kyoya angrily pushed past the exit, gulping down the clean, cold night air.

_Dammit, Kaoru! What were you thinking? What was Hikaru thinking bringing me here? Absolutely abhorrent. I have officially seen things and people as I would prefer them not to be seen. This is not how I would like things to be..._

Taking a deep breath, Kyoya ducked into the back of their car, informing the driver that the twins were not far behind.

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Holding him up by the shirt sleeves, Hikaru held Kaoru in front of him and guided them toward the door. Bursting into the nighttime, he angrily let his brother go. The feeling of disdain was apparently mutual.

"What the fuck, Hikaru? You brought Kyoya here?! Why?!"

"What else was I supposed to do? You won't talk to me anymore! I keep dragging myself out here because I'm afraid of what might happen to you, and it's the same fucked up thing every time. What's more is that you know I'll always come after you, and you keep doing it, anyway. What hurts the most is that I'm starting to hate you for it. Because it seems like for you to keep this up, you must already be hating me, too."

The last of his words had caused Kaoru's heart to drop. "You're not the one I hate."

_Dammit, don't tell me it took all of this for you to start talking to me again!_

"Well, then what? Who?"

Kaoru only shook his head, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. "I wanted to be in love with her the way you are. It took most of our first year, but eventually I realized that if I can't be in love with Haruhi, it's doubtful I'll ever be in love with any girl. And I know I won't be."

"So you're gay? Kaoru, that's not-"

"I know no one cares if I'm gay, Hikaru! But I know who _it_ is. I know who I want, and that it's not about to happen in this lifetime. Not in this high-end-marriage-arranging-piece-of-shit world."

"Kaoru..."

"What?"

Giving up on words for the moment, Hikaru embraced his brother, allowing him the time he needed to collapse in on himself and all that he had kept to himself for far too long. When he decided to speak again, he did so softly.

"I figured there had to be someone better than me to get through to you, so I brought Kyoya."

Kaoru gave a sad, but honest laugh. "Yeah, well. I just let you have it, so I guess you didn't need to bring him, after all."

"Maybe. Let's just go home."

They made their way toward the town car, where Kyoya sat warm inside, gazing out the opposite window. Motioning for his brother to climb inside first, Hikaru leaned his head in to speak to the driver.

"Thanks again, Yuuto. I actually reserved the car behind us for the ride home. You can take my brother and our friend wherever they want."

The entire backseat proceeded to direct its bewildered attention toward Hikaru, who gave a classic Hitachiin smile before yelling, "Love you, Bro!" and slamming shut the car door.

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'Allo! So, this is something very different for me! But I like it. I hope you do, too. I hope they're in character... Comments? Critiques? Love? Sorry, that totally went beyond fishing for comments, but yeah. ) I hope you enjoyed!


	2. Chapter 2

Feeling the car shift gears as Hikaru shut the car door and left them, the leftover occupants were harboring mixed feelings of dread and surprise. Unsure just how much of this event Hikaru had planned, Kyoya turned his attention toward a horrified looking Kaoru, who presently was cradling his head in his hands.

_Well, he's beginning to appear sober... Clearly this part of the night was not Kaoru's doing._

He was starting to feel sorry for his friend, who until a few hours ago Kyoya would not have believed able to be found within such a place. The club screamed of degrading falsehoods; an establishment created out of mock sensuality as needy and greedy people stole away to think only of themselves. Ironically, Kyoya thought, the customers of such a club were no doubt unsure of what it was they might truly want.

"Kaoru... What were you doing out here, tonight? Or any other night, for that matter?"

Having no legitimate answer, he offered nothing outside of a barely visible shrug.

"I see. Well. Did you stop to think what might happen if someone from Ouran recognized you?"

"What would it matter? I'm the son of an international fashion designer. This sort of thing is expected of me, right?"

"If whoring yourself out as the tacky and classless spawn of wealth is how you'd like to be perceived, then by all means. I should point out, however, that you're not only representing yourself, but the entirety of the host club in any sloppy decisions you make."

"I'm sorry, Kyoya-Senpai. I can assure you it won't happen again."

Frustrated, Kyoya could taste the bitterness and hurt in his voice. Sighing, he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"No, Kaoru, it won't. And I apologize for the sting behind my words. It's simply the notion of finding you back there when the whole outfit is entirely unbecoming on you. Since when are you one to deaden yourself and allow some random girl to make herself at home in your lap?"

"I can't really say, Senpai."

"You know, Kaoru, I was able to hear everything you and Hikaru said out there."

For the second time that night, the mortification he felt creeping up his face was guaranteed to match the fiery auburn of his hair.

"You heard that?"

"Of course. I've been sitting and waiting in an inextravagant town car. Sound-proof glass doesn't come standard issue."

The two of them fell into silence, which Kyoya deemed his seatmate's responsibility to break whenever he felt ready. In the mean time, he sat back against the soft leather, assessing from their surroundings where exactly Yuuto seemed to be driving them.

Moments came and went before Kaoru made any move to end the quiet. Deciding that the amount of cowardice he'd engaged in was more than enough, he turned to face Kyoya before speaking up.

"I'm sorry for grabbing you tonight, Senpai."

"Indeed. I'm willing to forget about it, though. But tell me, Kaoru. Do you really believe we live in a marriage-arranging-piece-of-shit world?"

_Oh, man. He really did hear it all..._

"Some days I do."

"I see. It seems such a bleak outlook for someone like you."

"And what exactly do you mean when you say, 'Someone like you,' Senpai?"

"It means precisely what you think it means. Despite the outrageous way you seem to be acting, you know exactly who you are, Kaoru. And that is someone of superior qualities of the mind and heart that is entirely worth knowing. So why you feel the need to settle for less, I don't really know. Beyond that description, however, don't expect to be showered by compliments. Not after a night like tonight."

Repositioning his glasses, he crossed his arms and turned his attention back toward the world outside the window. Thankful to recongnize that the car was moving in a direction that would see him home, at this point Kyoya could think find nothing of merit left to say.

It seemed for Kaoru that his shame grew exponentially with the passing of each noiseless minute. Had his brother and Kyoya known the truth of it all, he was something of a lightweight, and the actions of Kaoru's inebration had far more to do with him creating himself a mental atmosphere than any substance coursing through his veins. Which seemed to make tonight's fiasco all the more embarassing, in his mind.

"For what it's worth, this hasn't happened too many times."

"Is that so."

"Yeah... I know Hikaru probably made it sound like I've been stealing away night after night, which to be fair, from his perspective must be true. But I've only done this maybe four or five times."

"Be that as it may, it's four or five times too many. And what were you doing with that girl in your lap?"

"To be honest, not much of anything..."

"I see. Coming to terms with our sexuality, are we?"

Considering that Kaoru had not spoken directly to his seatmate of such matters, he had no qualms over now glaring at him icily. Kyoya raised his hand in apology, surprised not at the angry sentiment, but at the effective delivery from none other than the likes of Kaoru.

"Fair enough. That may have been uncalled for."

"I'm trying to decide whether or not I should even answer you."

"That's fine. Feel free to take your time..."

The remainder of their stint in the car was spent with either boy staring out his respective window, although one's silence was seemingly more relaxed than the other. The vehicle eventually slowed as it came to a gradual crawl while snaking its way up to the main gate of the Ohtori estate. Upon noticing their close proximity to his home, Kyoya resituated himself to face his friend.

"You know, Kaoru. Yours and Hikaru's brotherly love act has always paid off well for the host club. If it's as Hikaru says, and you've been avoiding talking to him for some time now, then it makes both of your acting abilities all the more impressive. Admittedly, until he called tonight, I didn't even realize anything was substantially wrong."

"Just forget about it. It's as you said before. I'm just coming to terms with my sexuality."

"Of course. Good luck with that. However, I hope for your own sake and for the the sake of those you care for, that you get it through your head that even in this 'piece-of-shit world,' being openly gay isn't necessarily a hindrance to anyone willing to work hard enough to get what they want. Arranged-marriages and all be damned."

"Perhaps when working in the arts, sure, but-"

"Uedo Satsuki. She spent four decades working for Nomura Holdings, Inc, with twenty-five of those years as a top-notch investment banker, and sixteen years as the company's vice president. She's been in a relationship with the same woman for roughly fifty years. Oshiro Masao. Heir to a family-owned import-export business that found its start within the East India Trading Company. He's shared a bed with the same man for over thirty years."

_How does he know all of this? More importantly, why?!_

"Wow, Kyoya-Senpai."

"My point is: when have you ever allowed someone to tell you what you can and cannot have?"

At this, Kaoru simply nodded. _He makes a decent point, there..._

Having reached the end of his portion of the ride, Kyoya felt none too eager while reaching for the door handle. He'd be lying, however, not to admit to himself that he was glad to have gone out for the night. "Well, I've said all I have to say. Have a safe trip home, Kaoru. I'll be seeing you on Monday."

"See you, Kyoya-Senpai..."

Allowing Kaoru a curt nod, he also gave an honest smile before shutting the door. Before finally walking away, he tapped at the driver side window, and informed Yuuto that he was to ensure his charge was taken directly home.

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Tossing his glasses onto the bed, he welcomed the sudden loss of visual clarity, if only for a short while. He proceeded to make his way toward the shower, which he engaged in with the lights off.

_My mind... Has been put to its capacity. Shower. Write this out. Bed._

_No. First I scrub at least one full layer of epidermis off..._

_Japanese burlesque? Why don't we suggest to America's horny and youthful elite that they might enjoy a blond-haired, blue-eyed geisha? Attrocious._

_This side of Kaoru is a bit maddening. Not only selling himself short, but underestimating the capacity of others, also... I suppose I can't blame him._

_Alright. No more thinking tonight._

Shutting the water off, he grabbed a towel and made even strides away from the bathroom and toward his bed. His bedroom was the one place where even near blindness could not phase him, he knew every inch so well. He threw the spectatcles back on once noticing the glow from his cell phone. Flipping open the screen, there waited a simple text from Hikaru.

"Whatever you did, Thank You."

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A second chapter! Woot! I'm kind of excited about this, as I never imagined writing this pairing before. But I'm beginning to envision it more and more... Please tell me how it was for you! Likes, dislikes? Do they seem in or out of character? Too dialogue-heavy?


	3. Chapter 3

Still tired from excessive studying the night before, Haruhi fumbled groggily with her uniform's buttons. In the kitchen tea was already on, and the morning sun had yet to edge itself through the windows.

She had just begun tucking her shirt in, only to come to an abrupt stop upon hearing a knock at the front door.

_A visitor? To say it's early would qualify as an understatement..._

Peeking through a window, she was not entirely certain what to think upon seeing Kyoya standing at the entrance to her home. Shaking the last notions of sleep from her head, she made haste to open the door.

"Good morning, Haruhi," he chirped, "I brought us breakfast."

Moving aside that he might come in, it was not lost on her that the Kyoya who stood in her kitchen looked less like her friend, and more like a host.

"Um, thanks, Kyoya-Senpai. You didn't have to do that."

"No worries, Haruhi. It's my pleasure to ensure that you're being properly nourished and fed."

"Uh huh. So what can I do for you, then, Senpai?" Grabbing two cups of tea, she sat down at the kitchen table, where Kyoya had already arranged their small, yet still extravagant spread.

"You're rather observant, Haruhi."

"Okay..."

"You are."

"Alright. Go on."

"You're also privy to quite a bit of time spent with the twins."

"I suppose that's true."

"What I want to know, is how they've seemed to you lately."

"Lately? Um. Like the twins... I suppose they've been a bit cattier than usual. Actually, they seem to be trying to bother each other more than they've been trying to bother me."

"I see."

"Hikaru's been much more focused on getting Kaoru's attention. Depending on the day, it seems to either drive Kaoru further into his textbook or gets a louder-than-necessary response out of him. All-in-all I'm still sandwiched between them so everything just seems relevant."

"Interesting."

"Why do you ask, Senpai?"

"Oh, no reason. It simply falls under my jurisdiction to ensure the well-being of each host club member. We don't want any occurances that might cost the club any clients or earnings."

"Of course not. That would be just tragic..."

"Indeed."

"So is there anyone else in the club you'd like to ask me about?"

"No, not in particular."

"I see. So just Kaoru."

Observing him carefully for an exaggerated response, Haruhi found slight amusement in watching Kyoya suddenly chew his food somewhat faster before swallowing erratically.

"No, Haruhi. To be specific, I asked you about the twins."

"I know you did. But considering that Hikaru has been acting like himself, only amped up a few notches in order to get some kind of reaction out of Kaoru, then I assume you're really wanting information on the latter."

"Like I told you: observant."

She gave him a knowing grin while stepping away from the table. "Don't mind me, Senpai. I'm still listening. Or talking... I need to start getting my lunch around, though."

"Haruhi, how about today I buy you lunch, instead?"

"Really? It's okay, Kyoya, you don't have to do that."

"But I'd like to. It'll give us more time to chat."

_You mean talk about Kaoru._

"Alright, then. Thanks. That actually sounds nice."

"Good. Well, in the mean time, I suppose I'll be going. There should be enough food left over for Ranka. I'd offer you a ride to school, but I'm certain Mori-Senpai would be none too thrilled to show up to an unoccupied door..."

Seeing himself out, Kyoya returned Haruhi's all-too-intelligble grin with one of his own. She simply smiled.

"Uh huh. Thanks again, Senpai."

_Breakfast is done, and I don't have to make a bento... Time to go back to bed until Takashi comes by!_ Haruhi smiled to herself, noting that during the day-to-day, it's always worth counting the small victories.

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Wrapping up proceedings for the day, Kyoya updated his ledger while observing Music Room Three's exit from the corner of his eye. Save for himself and Haruhi, who was working on putting the last of the tableware away, the room had become completely empty. Before long she had crept up beside him, remaining quiet while his pen finished out the last of its task at hand.

"Everything's taken care of, Senpai. I'm taking off. Thanks again for treating me to both breakfast and lunch today."

"Don't mention it, Haruhi. Thank you for your willingness to discuss certain discretionary topics with me."

"No worries."

She had just begun to open the door when Kyoya once again beckoned her to move his way.

"Haruhi?"

"Yes?"

"Just to clarify, I didn't view our time together today as a mere transaction to gain information."

She gave him a sympathetic nod. "I know, Kyoya-Senpai. It's good to have friends."

"Indeed, it is."

He checked his watch while waving goodbye.

_Only a few minutes, now._

Returning to his notebook, Kyoya busied himself until hearing the quiet, telltale click of the lock. Shifting his gaze upward, he smirked as Kaoru walked inside, and shut the door.

"Good evening, Kaoru. I'm glad to see you were able to return."

"Sure, Senpai." Still working to put the past weekend's events behind him, he was left questioning any number of possibilities as to what the nature of their meeting might be.

Pushing his chair away from the desk, Kyoya stood up and slowly made his way toward the only other occupant of the room. He came to stand directly in front of the slightly shorter boy, stopping only once they had come to stand toe-to-toe.

"Go ahead, Kaoru. Ask me a question."

Unsure if their close proximity would give away his slow-forming blush, Kaoru did his best to maintain an unquavering voice.

"Why are you standing so close, Senpai?"

"I'm sorry. Would you prefer I move?"

Kaoru only shrugged.

"If you like, you may ask me another question."

Taking longer than he would have liked for a response, Kyoya went ahead and asked a question, himself.

"Very well, then. My turn. Do I come across as a coward to you?"

"No. Why would you-"

"Then why foster such a potent amount of anger over the upper-eschelon ideals of arranged marriage? You assume my capabilities and my body of work won't be enough to achieve my dream, because fiscal or societal pressure will get in the way? Or that I would submit one dream for another?"

While he was in no way wrong, Kaoru could feel himself regaining his mental and emotional footing, as Kyoya's assessement was beginning to wear thin to his ears. Straighening his spine so as to gain every possible bit of phsyical leverage, he moved to meet Kyoya's stare.

"Gee, Senpai. What is it that makes you think that everything I'm angry about centers around you? What makes you believe I don't give _you_ enough credit?"

Emotional situations proved to be somewhat tricky. Having no statistics or charts to fall back on, Kyoya made certain to steel his voice.

"Am I wrong?"

"What? That's never happened to you before?"

Unwilling to admit that for the moment, his end of the argument had nowhere left to go, Kyoya became quiet only long enough for a noticable silence to fall around them. He then proceeded to grab Kaoru by the lapels of his shirt, swiftly backing him against a wall. Slamming his own hips into the shocked recipient of his actions, Kyoya left no room for questions as to how he truly felt.

Though the element of surprise had been what seized him, Kaoru intended to make himself clear with his senpai. Digging his fingernails into Kyoya's hips, he initiated what he once had believed to be a kiss entirely unfathomable, as Kyoya's taste mingled with his own.

Untangling himself from Kaoru, if only for a moment, Kyoya grabbed him by the tie, gently leading him toward an overstuffed couch.

"Still have no questions?"

Pushing the older boy down onto the couch, Kaoru smirked. "Oh, we'll have words. Later."

Kyoya simply laughed, welcoming the advances of the feisty red-head over top of him.

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Chapter Three! I can't decide if this should really be rated M or T... I think at this point in time KyoKao's rendition of ravaging one another is still mostly... Innocent. Is that the world I'm looking for? I dunno...

I hope you enjoyed!


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